Taming the Beasts: Guardians of Izanami
by ANGELwithNOnameYET
Summary: Naruto returns from his 2.5 years of training with Jiraiya to take part in the next Chuunin Exams in Izanami, the Village of Avatars. And it looks like he isn't the onlt one with a sealed beast in him. Naruhina, Naruto Hinata. Updated, Chapter 8 here
1. Prolouge

**Taming the Beasts**

Prologue

"So much has changed since I left…"

From the top of the Hokage monument, Naruto surveyed the village of Konoha. A town he has not seen for 2 ½ years.

"Not even this remained constant…"

Hopping down on top of Sandaime's forehead, he mused at the sculpted face of Tsunade besides the 4th's. He wondered how long it took to carve the old hag's face on the mountain. He went back to looking down at the village. He had only arrived a few days ago from his training with Jiraiya. After spending a couple of years squeezing jutsus out of the old perverted sannin, they turned back to Konoha. They were delayed by 6 months because trouble erupted in a certain village where they were passing through and they had to give a helping hand to the townsfolk. But it was worth the trouble, as the townsfolk helped them get back to Konoha.

And now, here he is. Pondering on the changes the village has undergone through. But it's not just the village it's his peers. Everyone in the Rookie 9, except himself, is now in Chuunin level while he is still a Genin. Sakura, his teammate, is now studying under Tsunade and the successor of the Slug Sannin. The Cherry Blossom has bloomed into a fine kunoichi that the Hidden Leaf can be proud of.

And it wasn't just Sakura, it was everyone else. His peers are now stronger, more mature and advance. This though alone frustrated him. They weren't the only ones training for the past 2 ½ years.

"**_Of course, you can't expect everthing around you to stand still, " _**It was Kyubi.**_ "Take it from me,kit. You have to run with the pack or you will be left behind."_**

It was weird (downright freaky) to find the kitsune youma to cheer him up. But after what happened at that village, you can't blame him.

Naruto managed to find a way to rein in the ninetails to his will. And he has tamed the demon inside.

Then, something distracted him from his thoughts. A sound that came from a short distance away from him. Thanks to Kyubi, he could hear a teardrop a mile away if he wanted to.

It came from the training grounds just outside of the village. The sound piqued his curiosity. It reminded him of something (or someone) but he can't just put his finger on it.

He decided to check it out. Besides he had nothing to do. He already went to Ichiraku earlier. And it's the weekend so there are no missions for now.

Walking towards the forehead of Sandaime, he looked down to see how far he is from the ground.

It looks like a few hundred feet.

Perfect…

Naruto leapt from the 3rd's head and dived through the air headfirst. He could feel the air brushing o his spiky blond hair as he fell towards the ground. As soon as he sensed that he was nearing impact he positioned his body so that his feet leads downwards before making contact with the earth.

The timing was perfect.

Having used charka to cushion his fall, he was still in one piece.

His left leg was bended so that it would absorb the lessened force of the landing and acted as a support, while his other was stretched out to his right. His left palm was touching the ground so the extra charka it distributed could also help soften the collision.

He straightened himself up, patted dust off his orange jacket and pants and readjusted his forehead protector.

He heard the sound again and headed towards it.

It was human.

Female to be exact.

And very familiar…


	2. Familiar Face

**Familiar Face**

Hyuuga Hinata had always admired Naruto.

She would always observe him from afar (whether with Byakugan or not) watching him train, surpassing his physical limits, believing in himself, like she believed in him.

Once, she secretly cheered for him during the Chuunin exams 2 ½ years ago. She even acknowledged him when they were still in the Academy. Heck, she was probably the only one of Naruto's classmates who recognized the real him.

It's too bad the blond ninja is oblivious to this fact.

She never had the chance to say how much he means to her. Not even when he left Konoha for his training with Jiraiya.

He was everything that she wasn't.

He is loud; she is quiet.

He is brash; she is timid.

He is strong; she is weak.

And that last part is what tortures her the most.

Being weak.

But not anymore.

In the span of 2 years, she has grown into a respectable kunoichi reaching the rank of Chuunin. Her skills in the Jyuken Fighting Art have improved that it even rivals that of Neji. And it was her advanced skill that allowed her to beat her sister Hanabi in the last Chuunin exam. This earned Hinata her father's respect as well as that of her sister, who once considered her 'weak.'

Even though she managed to come out of her shell, she still carries an aura of shyness around her. But this conceals a sense of strength and confidence that she acquired during the long run.

That is, of course, thanks to a certain loudmouthed shinobi she admires.

In the training grounds where she and Naruto met before his fight with Neji, Hinata was busy hitting a log with palm strikes. While she was at it, her mind drifted back to the moment he said those words:

"You're the kind of people I like!"

It was like heaven for her. Naruto actually acknowledges her!

And that simple thought of him saying those words gave her strength.

She focused at her right palm with a considerable amount of chakra and rushed it at the log. Shouting as she did. Normally, this kind of strike is enough to break the log into a thousand pieces. But it didn't. Instead, it caused a bit of bark on the other side to break off.

It may not look much. But it was enough to cause internal damage to an enemy. She did witness its effect during one of her team's missions. They had to track down a missing-nin from the Hidden Rock.

She remembered the rogue shinobi covering himself with a think layer of stone when they fought him. Not even Kiba or Shino was able to penetrate his armor. Only Hinata was able to do it. Even though the stone armor gave him an increased endurance, it hindered his agility. And all Hinata had to do was walk up in front of him (literally), focused a lot of charka and slammed it into his chest.

Similar to what happened to the log, a thick piece of stone broke off at the missing-nin's back. And the rest of the armor followed, revealing a powerless shinobi suffering from internal bleeding.

Hinata knew this because she had her Byakugan activated, so she could see that she broke the guy's ribcage along with the heart and lungs.

Her thoughts were disturbed as she sensed two figures behind her. She didn't need her Byakugan to know. So she turned around to face them.

It wasn't a surpirse to find that one of them is her cousin, Neji.

What was a surprise is that the other is Tenten. And they're both holding hands.

"Since when did you two get together?" Hinata said, smiling at the couple."Neji-sempai, Tenten-san."

She had to add the -sempai suffix whenever she calls him ever since he became Jounin.

"Actually, we started off two months ago when we came back from a mission. That was when you were hunting down a missing-nin." Tenten said. "Sorry, Hinata. But I need to borrow your cousin for a while."

"So it's a date?"

"You could say that," Neji said. "Besides she's the one who dragged me into this..."

Tenten playfully punched him on the shoulder as a reply.

"Then, I guess we'll have to postpone our training for a another day, Neji-san." She was a bit disappointed. But for now, she's happy for Neji. It's rare to see him actually smiling.

"Actually, there is someone who would be happy to train with you Hinata-san." Neji turned around but still holding Tenten's hand. "No use hiding, Naruto. You can come out now."

Naruto? Hinata's eyes scanned the area where Neji turned to. And she could make out a figure moving under the shade of the trees and coming out into the sunlight. The orange clothes he wears and that blong hair of his made him easier to spot.

As Naruto finally reached them, Hinata noticed that he has grown taller now. His blond hair a bit longer and messier than before. And as he greeted them (and commented on Neji finding him) she also found that his voice has deepened. His cerulean eyes sparkling with the life and confidense like before.

"It's a good thing the sun's out," Tenten teased her, waking Hinata out of her stupor. "So no one can tell whther you're blushing or catching a burn."

Embarassed by her reaction, Hinata wanted to change the subject but Neji did it for her.

"Naruto-san, do you mind sparring with Hinata for me? I have...things to take care of."

"Sure! That is if it's ok with Hinata." He glanced at her, making her blush deeper. But she managed to reply that she won't mind. "Great! Now that's settled. You two lovebirds go ahead with your date thing."

Neji was about to comment but he didn't have the chance when Tenten jumped into his arms. This caused the young Hyuuga to do something very uncharacteristic: he blushed.

Now this is a start, Neji blushing? Hinata and Naruto both glanced up at the sky, no doubt checking any signs for flying pigs. Hinata took one last look at the couple before glancing back at Naruto.

And as Neji carried away his girlfriend. She could've sworn Tenten was giving her the thumbs up sign before disappearing into the shade of the trees.


	3. A Friendly Spar

**Chapter II**

Earlier, Naruto wanted to find the source of the sound he heard.

It was kinda like a scream. No, a shout.

And hearing the voice reminded him of someone.

Too bad he can't remember.

But right now, he found it. Or should he say 'her.'

Hyuuga Hinata.

With everyone in the Rookie 9 being matured and having their own story to tell how they became what they are now. Naruto shouldn't be surprised. But Hinata genuinely surprised him.

He thought back to the shy, timid, little girl he knew before. The girl who was his seatmate during the 1st part of the Chuunin Exams 2 ½ years ago, the girl who offered him medicine after his fight with Kiba, the girl he cheered for when she fought with Neji, the girl he swore to avenge when Neji almost killed her, the girl who cheered him up before the Main Matches.

Could this be the same girl?

Going back to the present, he took the chance to examine her as she looked behind him at the retreating couple. He that she ahs grown taller but is a head shorter than him. Her hair is longer, too. He realized this as the breeze blew some strands of it. She looked like she just got out of a shampoo commercial. She is mostly covered by her Chuunin vest so he couldn't see what she's wearing underneath. But from the looks of those black sleeves he guessed that it's a black T-shirt. She's also wearing Caprim pants, the same kind of pants he remembered her wearing before. And as he glimpsed at her milky-white face (and eyes) he realized that not only that she's grown beautiful – she's breathtakingly gorgeous when up close.

"Naruto-kun, are you ready?" her voice broke him out of his stupor.

He saw that she is in a fighting position. Her left hand is in front of her in a palm strike pose. The other was in a closed fist and at level with her waist. Her legs are in an L-shaped position. Left leg leads while the other is slightly bended so her body is slightly lowered. She also has he Byakugan activated.

He smirked. Let's see how much she's gotten better.

"Shadow Clone no Jutsu!" 4 Shadow Clones appeared at his side and let them loose on Hinata. He just hopes that they don't hurt her too much.

But Hinata managed to beat them in a single combo.

The 1st clone charged after her but it got hit by her right hand w/c turned into a palm strike. The 2nd launched a straight punch at her face. But since her right is still extended she used it to grab the incoming arm, making her left leg move back and letting the right leg lead, to pull him close enough to be hit by her other palm. The 3rd charged at her front like the fist 2, but Hinata was quicker. Still in her position right after taking care of the 2nd, she swerved both of her arms in a counter-clockwise circular motion before slamming both hands into the clone. The 4th appeared some distance behind Hinata and charged at her before launching a flying side kick. But she simply evaded it but hopping to the right and grabbed the clone's leg before it hit her. She pulled him closer and hit him with another palm strike.

Impressive.

"That was just warm-up, Hinata. Here's the real challenge." He unzipped his jacket revealing his black sleeveless top underneath. He took it off but still held it with his right hand.

He saw that Hinata was blushing like mad. But he decided to ignore it.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun." Hinata managed to say. "I was just warming up myself." And she began to take off her Chuunin vest, mimicking Naruto's actions earlier, revealing her black baby T-shirt underneath.

Now without her vest covering most of her, Naruto could see that Hinata had started developing to womanhood. She's definitely 'filled-out' in places that are pleasing to the eyes.

He mentally kicked himself for thinking like that. That Frog Hermit's already rubbing off on him in more ways than one.

Time to test out his new Jutsu.

"Body Flicker no Jutsu!" and he quickly swayed his orange jacket in front of him. Making an orange blur before disappearing from view, his jacket falling down to the ground.

Lucky for Hinata she had her Byakugan on; otherwise she couldn't see him materialize a few feet above her. She dodged out of the way just in time.

And unfortunately for Naruto he was facing the other way so he had to turn around to face Hinata. And was just in time to block a tenketsu strike with his right hand.

Seeing that her attack was deflected she jumped up and did a front kick that Naruto feinted again.

Upon reaching the ground, she jumped again and spun around to do a spinning kick on him. But he ducked just in time.

He ducked again when Hinata let loose another tenketsu strike with her left upon reaching the ground. He managed to grab it but regretted it later when she pulled him closer to hit him a good on him midsection. This rocketed him backwards and landed a couple of feet away from her.

He tried to fight the urge to spit out some blood. He want to make Hinata think that he's easily affect by this. Too bad his body didn't agree with him. And he coughed out a little blood.

"Naruto-kun, are you-" but she didn't finish her sentence when he told her that he's still can fight.

"I was going easy on you…" he said in between fits of coughs. " But we're not done yet. Get ready…"

He needs to finish this fast. That impact certainly wrecked his insides. Maybe he could collapse into her arms before going unconscious.

"Body Flicker no Jutsu!" In a flach of black and orange he disappeared and reappeared in front of Hinata. Naruto let loose a ricochet of ultra-fast punches toward her, making an effect that looked like he has a dozen arms. Hinata didn't have the reflexes needed to block this kind of attack so she found herself getting hit 5 – 9 times overtime she blocked a single punch.

She had no choice but to back down and give up.

"What the?"

But not without giving him a little something. There were small red spots on his arms, meaning that Hinata sealed his charka holes.

To be able to do this while facing his attack earlier, she's worth more than the credit he gives her for.

He moved his eyes away from his arms and onto to the female Hyuuga in front of him. It looks like she's a flustered aft6er what happened. And her bloodline limit is already deactivated.

"Hey, Hinata. That jutsu I used on you earlier is something that can counter the Byakugan. The Byakugan may be able to see in all directions and sense motion a few miles away. But it won't be enough when faced with an ultrafast technique. I doubt even Neji can block it." He looked back at his arms. "This is just a little payback, isn't it?"

"It's just that… I don't want to think I'm… Still weak…" she managed to reply.

"That's my line." He said before he started coughing up blood and landed on the grass. "Besides that hit you gave me knocked the wind out of me."

He looked up and noticed that she's already besides him.

"I didn't hit you too hard, did I?" he could feel her breath fan against his cheeks. And he took the chance to take in the scent of vanilla emanating from her. And he felt a warm feeling rushing up into his face.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." He forced a smile.

And he heard something that really upset his mood.

"**_Naruto Hinata sitting on a tree… K-I-S-S-" _**but Naruto quickly told the kitsune youma to shut up.

But it wasn't just Kyubi that upset him. He sensed 2 figures hiding in the shade of trees a few feet away from them.

His first guess was that it was Neji and Tenten. But, no. One of them was Sakura. He recognized her charka. And the other one…

No way…

Even Kyuubi was upset. **"What are _they_ doing here?"**

Naruto knows whose charka is that. And the other one hidden underneath it's normal one.

He straightened up and it almost startled Hinata.

"You can come out now."

And the pinkhaired cherry blossom came out.

"About time you noticed us." She said.

But he wasn't listening to her, he was eyeing the other figure still in the shadows.

"You, too. It's been some time, eh? Ryong Kurogane."


	4. The Izanami Shinobi

Chapter III – The Izanami Shinobi

As the figure came out of the shadows, Naruto knew he was right. This undeniable aura and chakra that surrounded him. No doubt, it was 'dragon-boy.'

"It's been some time, eh? Naruto." Kurogane said. His voice, like his aura and chakra, was strong, deep and powerful. Heck, it kinda feels like he can make anyone do his bidding just by using his voice.

Naruto studied him a bit. He hasn't changed a bit. Then again, it was only weeks since he last saw him.

Everything he wore fro head to toe was jet-black: sneakers, plants, shirt, and cape. The same thing goes for his hair, jet-black also, and is brushed back while a few bangs fell in front of his face. His forehead protector bore the familiar symbol of the Avatar Village: a carved picture of a coiled dragon trapped in a circle. His eyes were a pale gray. Overall, he is a bit thin but powerfully built.

He kinds of reminds Naruto of Sasuke but at least he isn't like the Uchiha bastard…much.

"So what brings you here?"

"Two things: One-business. Two-looking for you. The Hokage sent me and Haruno-san here to find you." Kurogane glaned at Naruto's arms. "And it was kind of amusing to watch you fight. I expected the Hyuuga Heir to beat you. But then again, you are THE Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto was about to retort with a nasty comeback of his own. But then he realized that he almost forgot about Hinata.

"Oh, yeah. Hinata, this is Ryong Kurogane of the Hidden Village of Avatars. That place was the last stopover me and Ero-sennin got to."

"Oh, pleasure to meet you." Hinata rose to her feet and was about to bow down but Kurogane stopped her when he spoke.

"You don't need to bow to me, ojosama. I should be the one to do it. Anyone who can at last give Naruto a little payback earns my respect."

OK, not exactly like Sasuke but sometimes Naruto wantsa to beat the crap out of him.

Sakura stepped forward and took Hinata out of earshot from the twoboys. She began teasing her about some while Hinata replied with a remark about hoping that Naruto didn't har her. As if it made any difference, he could still hear them thanks to Kyuubi.

Girl talk, Naruto thought.

"So when did you arrive?" he asked Kurogane.

"A little while ago. I had to accompany grampa here on a personal visit to oyour Hokage." he said. "It's something about the next Chuunin exams. If all goes well, it'll take place at our village."

"Wow, then that means I'll be seeing everyone again. I can't wait."

"Why wait? They're already here."

* * *

Back at Konoha, a 13-year boy bearing the Avatar symbol on his forehead protector was strolling the streets of Konoha. His attire made him easy to spot: bright red sneakers with fire emblems along the sides, black pants with a simlar flame artwork, a plain white shirt and a white polo with bright red and yellow flames designs with the symbol of a phoenix on the back.

He ran his hands through his flaming red hair as his crimson eyes surveyed the town that a certain Uzumaki Naruto bragged about when the guy was still in their village.

To be honest, Hanabishi Matchi wasn't disappointed. The fox-like shinobi wasn't kidding. In contrast to the Hidden Avater Village of Izanami, this place was brighter and sunnier.

No wonder Kurogame-sempai couldn't stand this place.

Then his attention was caught by a girl strolling along the street. She looked like the same age as him. Having a slender figure and long lavender hair that reachest her back. She was wearing sandals, khaki pants, a grey vest with a black longsleeve underneath. But that was not the reason why she got his attention. Everything about her, especially the way she handles herself, spells authority. He can tell by the way people that come her way simply bowing to her and addressing her as 'Hyuuga-sama.'

She must be royalty.

Then again, he is one too.

As they passed each other, he tried to glance at her face. But all he managed to get was the side view of it. And she didn't even bother to look at him.

So he turned his sight forward and resumed his way.

"Wait." A voice called out to him.

It was her.

He turned around and faced her. And found himself gazing into a pair of colorless eyes that peered into his.

"You are wondering why the people here respect me in such a manner. Correct?" she said.

"Y-y-yeah." He managed to stammer out. She was beginning to give him the creeps.

She gazed at him and Matchi was beginning to grow conscious at his looks. Maybe he should've taken Fen-sempai's advise and got his hair cut.

"You are not from here?"

"Ummm… yes." He's beginning to grow tense. He doesn't know why though. The only time he was this tense was when he witnessed Naruto…

"Figures." His train of thought was interrupted by the girl in front of him. "Since you're new here, I'll tell you. My name is Hyuuga Hanabi. And I'm the youngest daughter of the Hyuuga clan. I'm sure you heard of it."

The Hyuuga clan! Matchi knows that clan from one of his classes back at the Academy. Naruto also added to his knowledge that they were tough with the Byakugan blood limit.

"Good. You knew already."

What? How did she know that? Oh yeah, Naruto said something about them knowing what the other person is thinking simply by just looking into their eyes. He tried to tar his gaze away from her but found that he couldn't. He was entranced by her eyes.

"Excuse me but I have to go." And she turned and walked away.

"Wait. I haven't introduced myself yet." Matchi found himself saying to her. "I'm Nanabishi Matchi from the Hidden Avatar Village of Izanami." And he gave her one of his best smiles. AT least that was what he hoped it was.

"I see." She replied. And then she walked away.

Wow, stiffer that a board on nails. Still, even though she was kinda like a jerk and a snob. There was one thing he couldn't deny about her: she sure was cute!

* * *

At another part of town, two other Avatar Shinobis were enjoying the sights and sounds of the village.

One of them is Genbu Takibi. And he's busy impressing some kids by bouncing a volley ball with a turtle shell design on it on his head. He's a powerfully built guy and has a bit of fat along his muscles. He was wearing sandals, some blue shirts with an ocan waves design and a blue tank top with a turtle shell insignia at the back. He's got a bit of a tan. And he wears his hair in a cornrow fashion. His forehead protector was on his left arm.

The kids were shouting, "97, 98, 99…"

But before they said 'one hundred' the ball landed on Wakka's face instead of his forehead.

Ouch indeed.

One of the lids leaned forward, "Hey, mister. You okay?"

Next thing they knew, they were playfully chased around by the guy with the volley ball suctioned on his lips.

"Here's something you shouldn't try at home kids. 'Lips suction no Jutsu. Made it myself. No seals needed. Just pucker up your lips!"

His companion, who was standing by, wondered how the idiot spoke with a volley ball stuck on his lips.

Hanabishi Huang was busy looking at the red Chinese dress being displayed in a shop window. No doubt thinking about addint it to her wardrobe or showing it off to he Kuro-pi.

She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt with a zipper on front which is closed, red shorts that reaches to her knees, a red jacket tied at her waist, flame patterned sneakers. The familiar insignia of a phoenix can be seen at the back of her vest. Her flaming red hair was tied in a ponytail. Her forehead protector was worn on her left arm.

"Huang! HELP ME!"

Huang turned to fame Takibi just in time to see him being pinned down on the ground by the kids. The volleyball was lying forgotten besides them. She noticed there was still a bit of saliva on its side. Ewww.

"Oh, boy. Takibi's gonna need a full body cast after they're done with him." She thought.

* * *

"So Naruto and Jiraiya hd a hand in quelling the civil war in you village?" Tsunade asked as she scanned the report she was given. She peered over the papers to look at the Akumakage and his two representatives. "Raijin-sama…"

Three figures were in front of her.

Ryong Raijin, the Akumakage of the Hidden Avatar Village of Izanami was the old man in the middle. No, not only old. A powerfully built old man that still radiates an aura of power and undeniability despite his old age. Judging from his baldhead and the remaining white hair at the sides of his head he's probably pushing 80 or something like that. He was wearing a traditional black karate gi with a red belt, sandals. It is also noticeable that there is a thunder dragon insignia at the back.

The one on the right has got to be Hanabishi Feng of the Hanabishi clan, otherwise known as the 'Immoral Flame.' He was wearing a blood red trenchcoat with a flaming phoenix insignia at the back and sleeves. He has a black polo underneath. Black pants and sneakers with fire symbols. His unruly mop of flaming re hairt stuck out in all directions.

The other has got to be Baihu Saitou, otherwise known as the 'White Harbinger.' The most feared member of the Baihu clan, even though he doesn't look like it. Instead of a reserved cold-blooded killer she was expecting him to be, he looked more like a girly-looking man with a child-like expression on his face. He was wearing a white karate gi which as open with the insignia of a white tiger on the back. He has a white shirt underneath. His hands were covered in a bandage like wrapping.

"Yes," Raijin said. His voice deep and powerful. "I wasn't expecting one of the great Sannin to make an appearance at our village. Especially during that time."

"Just how did they get caught in the conflict?"

"Let's just say that our enemies were searching for individuals with 'beastly' powers. Raijin replied, putting more emphasis on the 'beastly' part.

Sounds more like Orochimaru's doing but the Sound is less likely to attack with their leader in a bad shape. But then again, the fight that they had 2.5 years ago showed that the snake sannin still proved to be a threat, with or without jutsus. She could still feel the way the creep's tongue strangled her neck even after all there years.

"Naruto," Feng said. "caught their attention and tried to abduct him. Fortunately, he earned our respect after rescuing one of our own. The Akumakage's grandson to be exact. And we gave him sanctuary.

"And you enemies were… one of you own?"

There was a moment of silence until Raijin broke it.

"…yes. The one who led the uprising was a student of mine. He was once a candidate for Akumakage. He disappeared when he didn't become Akumakage. Only to resurface months ago, unrecognizable as the man we knew he was.

"And what was his motive?"

Another moment of silence.

"We're not sure…"

Sounds familiar. Kind of reminds her of Orochimaru alright.

"But one thing's certain." Saitou said. "He's searching for candidates to join his crusade. Naruto caught his eye because of his… 'unique' abilities."

"So you know…"

"Of course, why would you think it is the Village of Avatars in the first place, Hokage-sama. You, of all people, should know that we have our own set of..."

There was a knock at the door and Suzune came in,

"Tsunade-sama, Naruto and the others are here."

"Tell them to wait, Suzuna. We'll meet them there."

And Suzune left.

"Then everthing will go as planned…" Raijin said.

"Yes…" Tsunade said. "She we meet them outside, gentlemen?"

All four of them rose and proceeded to the door.


	5. A Moment at Night

**Chapter IV – Matchmakers I**

"_**Long day,huh?"**_

"You said it!"

Naruto was already sprawled on his bed after a very tiring time with the Izanami shinobis. He had already taken off his clothes, save for his boxer shorts, and they were scattered in line from the door to his bed. As he lay there, he could feel his sweat seep into the mattress.

He didn't even bother using the towel to wipe himself dry. He decided that going straight to bed was the best choice.

His mind trailed back to the events earlier that day. After meeting up with old man Raijin and the others, he was told by the old lady Tsunade that he's been assigned into a three-man team with Kurogane and Matchi for the Chuunin exams.

There was no need to show them around Konoha. They took the liberty to do it themselves. But he did managed to introduced them to the rest of the Rookie 9. Huang, Matchi, takibi and Saitou had a great time. He wasn't so sure about Kurogane and Feng. Those guys never liked forced socialization.

What was it that Kurogane had said before?

"_You know me, Naruto. I operate within the shadows. But here, in your village, I feel confined in them."_

Poor guy. At least he can get back to Izanami tomorrow. During their little party at Ichiraku, Tsunade joined them and announced that they have to depart for Izanami tomorrow.

"Sheesh, there are so many things that I wanted to show those guys."

There was a knock at his door and he decided to ignore it. When the knocking persisted, he grumbled and decided to answer it. Just so he can get some sleep.

And, even though h can know who it was on the other side, his mind was in no mood to find out who it is. Unlike his body, his mind will always be the first to go when placed under a lot of stress.

He followed the trail of clothes that he took off earlier, since the lights were off.

When he opened the door, he was half-expecting Matchi to pull a prank on him. Something he rubbed off on the kid. But it kind of irritated him. It was supposed to be his job, or at least used to be his job.

His brain felt kind of fuzzy, felt like it was getting fried. It's been that way when he got up from bed. So it took some time to register who it was at the door.

When his mind cleared, he finally realized who it was.

"Hinata?"

"Uhh… Naruto-k-kun…" he noticed that she was blushing like crazy. He wondered why.

A moment later, he realized why: he had nothing on but his boxer shorts -those really tight and fit boxer shorts.

"Shit!" he couldn't help himself. He almost forgot that Hinata was there.

He immediately ran inside and grabbed a towel from his drawer and wrapped it around his waist. Even though his lights were off, he doubts it can hide his own intense blush. He also hoped that the light from the corridor won't expose it to Hinata.

When his apartment lights suddenly turned on, his blush, if it was possible, went deeper.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you." She said timidly.

Naruto tried his best not to look at her. He didn't want her to see him blushing this hard. And the fact that his heaqrtbeat's going like crazy wasn't helping. He doesn't know whether it was the surprise of the lights turning on or her mere presence that caused it.

"I just came… to give this back to you." She said.

Then, he made the mistake of looking at her. He just hoped that the blush faded off by now.

"Naruto-kun, you're blushing!"

Nope. It hasn't, it felt more like the shade of red only went deeper.

"You look so cute when you're blushing, do you know that." Then it was her turn to blush and turn away. As it it made any difference. Compared to Naruto's, her blush reached to her ears. And the guy had a good view of it.

"Umm… Hinata." For some reason, he was feeling uneasy. And he couldn't shake it off. "W-what is it y-you w-w-were going to give me?"

He couldn't get the uneasiness out of his voice either.

Still pink from embarrassment, Hinata slowly turned around to face him.

"Man, she looks kinda cute when she's like that." He thought to himself. "W-wait, what am I-"

Before he knew it, he felt something touch his chest. When he touched it, he realized that it was his pink frog purse.

And Hinata's hands.

For the first time, he realized how soft her hands were as she slipped them away from his. His hands now grasping his frog purse.

"You… left it at Ichiraku. So I came here and… giving it back to you…"

He tore his eyes away from the purse to look at her. She had her head bent down while drawing circles on the floor with her feet. She was still pink when she looked up at him. She had her head cradled on her left shoulder and was biting her bottom lip.

"Wow." Naruto felt himself go breathless. "Uhm, t-thnaks. Rhanks forbringitbacktome."

Great. Now is a good time to get tongue-tied.

Hinata giggled, sounded more like bells tinkling together.

Then, she slowly tore her eyes away from him and walked towards the door. Upon reaching it, she turned back and said. "Naruto-kun, good luck. I'll be praying for you."

Then she reached for the knob and went out, closing the door behind her.

Naruto just stood there, gaping at the direction where she went. When he snapped out of his reverie, he sat down on the side of his bed. His hands still clinging to his frog purse.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wipe off the dopey grin off his face.

Hinata just stood there, leaning on the door to Naruto's apartment. Thinking about the past few moments she had spent with him.

She should've have said it. It was easy, "There is something I wanted to tell you…"

Then, she'll say it.

But she wasn't disappointed.

She touched her hands, remembering how strong and gentle his hands were when he clasped onto his frog purse. She was even surprised that a person like Naruto had something as cute as that.

She took a deep breath –twice – and sighed. Then, she went down the hallway to find the exit.

She wasn't at all surprised to find herself humming along the way.

Meanwhile, on the roof of the building next to Naruto's apartment building, a black flag can be seen billowing. Wait, it wasn't a flag. It's a man wearing a cape.

Kurogane crouched down on the edge of the roof surveying the scene. Naruto being alone with a girl has got to bring him some kind of amusement. He just wanted to see how the clueless guy could react. Nothing really happened between the two but he wasn't disappointed. That look on Naruto's face had made his entire night.

If only he had a camera, he could blackmail the guy.

When he heard footsteps behind him, he didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Her chakra was easy to identify.

"So, how did it go?" Huang asked.

"Well, they didn't hug, kiss, confess or anything so I guess I owe you ten bucks."

There was rustling of movement in the darkness and he found her sitting besides him-well, more like leaning against him.

"By the way, how did you find me?"

Kurogane asked.

"Well, I didn't need to use Fenghuang's powers to find you. You were easy to spot in this place."

He chuckled. "You call this the dead of night? I feel so visible here."

Huang shifted a little closer to him and let her head rest on his shoulder. Kurogane put his arm around her as he snuggled his head on her hair.

"By the way," he asked. "About those two…?"

"Yeah, I could tell. Hinata was so obvious. Naruto is just in the stage of figuring it all out." She said. "By the way Kuro-chan, you were the one who took Naruto's wallet so Hinata could bring it back to him, weren't you."

Kurogane chuckled again while a rare smile appeared on his lips.

"Yup, you got me there."


	6. To The Village of Avatars

**Chapter V – To The Village of Avatars**

Next morning, Naruto's first thought was to get some Ramen. He took a ramen cup from his kitchen drawers and boiled some water. His body did this instinctively, so his brain – now fully rested – can think about other things. Like his encounter with Hinata last night.

After pouring the hot water, he waited for the three or five minutes to pass. At the same time, his mind kept rewinding back to last night. He couldn't get it out of his mind.

He remembered how cute she was when she blushes.

He remembered how soft her hands were.

He remembered how adorable her giggle was.

He remembered this strange sensation within him when she was near. He never felt this way before, not even with Sakura-chan. But whatever it was, it felt right somehow.

"**_You like her." _**It was Kyuubi.

"What?" he was surprised. "W-what are you talking about?"

"**_You are so obvious…"_** Kyuubi snickered. **_"Hehe… Cute kid."

* * *

_**

"HE. IS. LATE."

Kurogane, Huang, Takibi and Matchi are already on the training grounds. His grandafather, Saitou and Feng had to stay behind for some political matters. It seems that they have to meet with the new Kazekage who is arriving this afternoon. Kurogane and his team were given instructions to return to Izanami along with another shinobi team participating in the exam.

Kurogane checked his digital watch and saw that the reading changed from 10:57 to 10:58.

"What's taking him so long?"

Then, he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Huang, and her head was turned to the direction of the village.

"Don't worry, he's coming already."

About time. He was about to ask if she sensed the idiot's chakra when she added. "And he changed his clothes a bit."

After a few seconds, he sensed a familiar chakra heading their way. And in a flash of orange and black –mostly black - Naruto appeared carrying his backpack. The guy changed his clothes alright.

He traded his usual orange jacket and pants for something much more gothic – perfect for wearing when going to Izanami - but still with a pinch of Naruto fashion. He was wearing a black jacket and a black pair of pants. Both clothes have orange flame designs. His shoes were also in the same roadkill fashion. And since his jacket was unzipped, Kurogane could guess that it was a black sleeveless shirt under it. And as the guy put his things down and stretched himself, Kurogane also noticed an insignia of a burning whirlpool at the back of his jacket. It also has the kanji for "Next Fire Generation."

Now this is a first.

"Nice outfit…" said Huang.

"Thanks." Naruto replied.

"Looks like you got rubbed off on someone." Takibi said, before laying eyes on Kurogane.

"Don't blame me on that." Kurogane said. "Orange was more your color. But, that kind of looks good on you. Seriously…"

* * *

Matchi watched in perverse fascination as he marveled at Naruto's new ensemble. Like Kurogane-sempai said, it certainly looks good on him. Must be the orange flame thing.

The sound of clapping of a pair of hands caught his attention and he turned to find his sister Huang signaling to the entire group to pay attention.

"Alright, everyone. We are ready to depart for Izanami. Matchi, will you do the honors?" she said.

_What? Why me? _Was what he wanted to say, but all he managed to get out of his mouth was "EH?"

Oh, no. She's giving him that look again. That same look that she gives him whenever he doesn't want to follow orders, doesn't want to tell the truth, or just doesn't want to go through whatever bizarre punishment she's got in plan for him.

He remembered the time when he was caught throwing waterbaloons at girls back at the Academy. Huang suggested testing a Water jutsu that she's been learning on him as punishment. It was just Water binding jutsu where a thousand hands made of water held down the target, so it wouldn't cause him any harm. But, a few seconds while in the jutsu, he was wrong. Instead of binding him, the hands tickled him all over and he spent a couple of hours laughing his head off – and an extra 30 minutes before Huang could finally turn off the jutsu.

Come to think of it, Huang was never good with Water jutsus since her principle element was fire and wind. Maybe that had something to do with the Waterbind jutsu going haywire.

Or maybe that had been her plan all along.

And then, there have been others but he doesn't even want to recall those.

Snapping back to the present, he noticed that Huang had raised her right hand towards him, palm up, and started curling her index finger towards her – it's a signal telling him to get his butt over here and –with that stern look – or else.

Matchi sighed and nodded in defeat.

From his mentioned experience, the wrath of an older sister isn't really a pleasant thing.

He walked over to her, arms slightly raised up in a don't-shoot-me expression.

Huang patted him on the head. "Good boy. Matchi, you do the Wings of Flight jutsu."

"Are you sure about that? I haven't perfected it yet."

"Just do it." She said, and then she turned her head towards the crowd. "Ah, yes. You have a question?"

Matchi turned his head to that direction and saw that the white-eyed girl had raised her hand. It was that Hyuuga Hanabi whom he met yesterday. And for some reason, he was getting nervous. And it had nothing to do with the worry of casting the jutsu.

"I've been wondering about this, how exactly we are going to your village?" she asked.

"Good question." Huang answered. "We'll be using a special teleportation jutsu to get us there. Matchi will be casting it." She nuzzled his hair a bit. "Go, little bro."

Matchi gave her a worried look and turned to the others with a face that certainly says "Help me!"

"You'll do fine, Matchi. Just don't drop us off at the wrong grate." Said Kurogane-sempai.

"You're not helping…" Matchi muttered under his breath.

As Huang stepped away from him, Matchi took a deep breath – twice – and concentrated on performing the jutsu. He took a matchbox from his left pocket, shook it, took three sticks and simultaneously lighted them. The heat from the matchstick flames seemed to comfort him from the stares he was getting from the crowd, actually from Hanabi's stares.

_Dammit, gotta concentrate._ He thought. _Remember what Kurogane sempai's words: set your sights on the goal, ignore everything else, and go straight in for the kill. _

Matchi threw the three matches into the air and the flames consumed them. Not that it really mattered anyway, the fire was the most important part of the jutsu.

He began to perform the seals as the red and orange flames began to encircle the group. He could hear the gasps from his audience. He ended the jutsu with a seal that can only be used by the Hanabishi clan, the ones chosen by the Phoenix Guardian FengHuang.

The flames were going faster now, enveloping them in red and orange. Then, after a few more seconds, they were gone.

* * *

"Here we go again." Naruto thought.

They were falling down a tunnel of sorts, made out of orange and red flames. The wind was deafening, as was the screams from his companions.

He was a about to throw up but he held it in. If he did, it would be a messy landing. His breakfast of instant ramen, churning around in his stomach and, for a split second, it felt like it got lodged up in his throat again.

"If I knew we were going to do this, I should've skipped breakfast."

Then, he saw the end of the tunnel. The exit.

Next thing he knew, he landed feet-first on solid ground.

Someone, he wasn't sure who, near him cried out. "Land! Solid land!"

He's never gonna get used to that.

He glanced a look around. Yep, this was certainly Izanami. Lots of tall buildings, light mist, an impression of immense dread. This was certainly the place. And it hasn't changed a bit. Well, duh, he had only left this place with Jiraiya a few weeks ago.

They were in the Deity Square, in the very middle of the village – actually, the place seemed more like a city. The registration hall should be a few blocks away from here. Naruto glanced at the ground to look at the ever-so-familiar mosaic of the four Guardians of Izanami. There was a depiction of two deities holding hands, one male and one female, trapped in a circle. Their positions seemed to resemble the yin and yang symbol. They were surrounded by the four animals that represented the Four Clans that ruled over Izanami: a turtle on the north side of the mosaic, a phoenix on the west, a tiger on the south and a dragon on the east.

"Alright, everyone." It was Huang. "We'll escort you to the registration hall for the exams, please follow me." She motioned the group to follow her.

Naruto stopped looking at the mosaic and began to follow them. But he stopped, he sensed something-no, someone.

Kyuubi-enhanced hearing confirms heartbeats and breathing. But it couldn't be from the group or from the people around. Their heartbeats and breathing were normal. But this heartbeat and breathing were different from the others. They were trying to conceal themselves.

He turned to the direction of those certain sounds; he stared suspiciously at the trees near him.

"**_Ignore them." _**It was Kyuubi. **_"We'll deal with them later."_**

Naruto agreed and ran to catch up with the group.

* * *

Meanwhile, someone watched Naruto from the trees.

So that idiot managed to sense him, even with concealed heartbeats and breathing. The guy must've improved.

And with that, the figure smirked.

And his eyes flashed in a red color.

A very familiar red color with three tomoes encircling around the pupil…


	7. Fateful Encounters

**ChapterVI – Fateful Encounters 1**

In the abandoned section of Eastern Izanami, Kurogane was waiting on top of a decrepit 5-story building. He surveyed his surroundings: broken down buildings, crumbling structures, abandoned streets. If memory serves, this was where most of the battles during the uprising occurred. Due to the damages done, it had become uninhabitable. No one in the vicinity, just a few abandoned blocks.

The perfect place for training.

A presence was felt and it was approaching him at alarming speed. It's him alright.

In a flash of orange and black, Naruto appeared on top of a building on the other side of the street. His mop of blond hair made him easy to spot.

"So, Naruto," Kurogane called out. "You're ready?"

"Yup!" was the other's reply.

Thus, Kurogane began the seals, black chakra surrounding him as he performed.

"Tasogare Ryong (Twilight Dragon) Legion Summon Jutsu!" he ended the jutsu with a special seal used only by the Ryong clan.

The black chakra had spread out and disappeared into the shadows surrounding Kurogane and it seemed that the shadows themselves became alive. Dozens of what looked like pairs of eyes appeared, followed by movement, in the darkness.

Creatures, lots of them, spawned out of the dark and they seemed to be made out of the domain from whence they sprang from. And they poured out in legions.

Their master surveyed over them.

The slender ones, humanoid in shape but had a dragon-like appearance, dressed in lightweight armor and wielding spears. The Dragoons, thirty in all.

The heavy built ones wearing medium weight armor, similar to the Dragoons but had a more robust physique, having blades attached to their limbs. The Warriors, forty of them.

The wiry ones, sharing a similar physique with the Dragoons, wearing what appears to be tattered cloth and wielding death scythes. The Assassins, another forty.

And the small bird-shaped ones bearing resemblance to baby dragons. The Drakelings, another forty.

All in all, one hundred fifty Tasogare (Twilight) Legionnaires…

…against one Uzumaki Naruto and the Kyuubi.

Kurogane stared up at the sky and saw that it began to rain.

He gave his soldiers the signal and they howled and roared in agreement before launching themselves at the blond shinobi.

It's show time.

* * *

"What a gloomy place." 

Haruno Sakura strolled through the quiet streets of Izanami. Not that it's quiet because there were no people around – there are a few civilians and bystanders. It's just that this place exudes a strange aura: a feeling of sadness, though there is nothing to be sad about; a feeling of guilt, though there is nothing to be guilty about; and a feeling of regret, though there is nothing to regret about. In short, this place dampens her spirits.

Looks like Huang-san wasn't kidding when she told her about this place.

Big dark buildings, gray skies, moody townsfolk.

Heck, probably the only bright thing to be found around here is Sakura herself with her pink hair and new ensemble. She was wearing a bright pink long-sleeve cotton sweater underneath a pinkish red hooded vest. Behind her vest was the kanji for 'Sakura Blossoms.' Her light red skirt was worn over her pinkish, nearly skintight pants decorated with sakura petal designs. Her shoes were light pink as well.

She felt the humidity around her and looked up at the sky. It was going to rain.

"Great," she muttered, bringing her hood over her head. "Another downer."

But that wasn't her only problem, aside from being a drag this place also reminded her of him…

Uchiha Sasuke.

"_You are still annoying…"_

And the pouring rain wasn't really lightening up her mood.

But that would be the least of her problems, she was being followed.

She had noticed a certain chakra following her ever since she left the hotel recommended by Huang. Even while strolling around Western Izanami, she could sense that certain chakra following her wherever she goes.

She shoved away the depressing thoughts away and tried to come up with a plan. She can't react or anything, that would only alert the stalker. So she just continued walking along the way.

Something in the weapon shop window caught her attention and she went in to check it out. When she stepped out, she decided that it's time to put her plan into action.

Sakura went back to the hotel where she was staying and, instead of going back to her room, she went to the roof.

She noticed that the rain had stopped a bit as she stood there on her spot. She was sitting at the edge, watching the people down below as she waited for him or her or whatever. She sensed that it was only one person. Nothing she can't handle.

There was a splash of water behind her.

"What took you so long?" she asked as she straightened up and turned around.

She was right, it was only one. The person was wearing a dark-hooded raincoat so it was hard to tell who it was. But she could see from the physique that it was a girl about her age.

"Who are you?" she asked. "And why are you following me?" She readied herself in a combat position: she had her legs bent a bit while her right foot was leading, herr hands were bent a bit while clutching three kunais at each hand – one kunai intertwined between fingers.

Her stalker didn't reply and, instead, silently mocked her.

Great, it wasn't just the city that kept reminding her of Sasuke. This idiot had to come along and remind her what he was like whenever she tried striking a conversation with him.

This is so unfair.

And harsh.

Not to mention mocking.

After a few moments of silence, the stranger raised her right hand towards her. This caused Sakura to tense.

She could hear a strange sound, similar to that of paper being torn apart, coming from the hand. Then, three purple projectiles were shot at her.

"Damn, got to evade!" Sakura quickly moved to her right but that proved to be a mistake. The stranger appeared right in front of her as she heard the projectiles whiz past her left side. "That was…" she thought, but she didn't finish. She felt the stranger's arm rest on her stomach before she was pushed to the roof of another building on the other side of the street. "…fast."

She skidded across the wet roof, her clothes getting wet and dirty, before she regained her composure and plopped down to a sitting position. She could feel a pressure on her stomach where the stranger's hand had touched. It didn't really hurt much but it was enough to make her cough and choke.

She forced herself up on her feet to see that the hooded girl was standing a few feet away from her, and she was holding all six of her kunais she had held earlier.

My kunais! Sakura suddenly realized she must've lost them when she was hurled off by the hooded girl.

The hooded girl held out her kunais towards her, then tossed them down where they embedded themselves on the cement. As if showing that she doesn't need them.

Bad mistake.

"Bind." Sakura muttered.

There was a puff of smoke and what looked like a dozen pieces of long cloth emerged from the kunai handles leaped at the enemy, snaking around her arms, legs and body. As the cloths bind her down, several glowing kanji emerged on it.

It looks like those 'Spellbinding Kunais' she bought earlier at the weapon shop downtown certainly did their job. The storeowner explained that the kunais have the ability to subdue the target by engulfing them in a spellbinding cloth that binds them down and prevents their use of chakra, hence the name. It was said that a single 'spellbinding kunai' is enough to trap a full, grown elephant in its snare.

Guess this is what happens when six of them were unleashed on a single human being. A teenager, no less.

The girl was still standing, though; covered in strands of cloth. But she was still struggling to keep herself on her feet.

"She must be tougher than I thought," Sakura thought, but after what she did earlier to her, she didn't need a reminder. She walked right up to her.

"Time to find out who you are," she said. But a part of her shoved that idea away in favor for beating her up – no doubt it was Inner Sakura. Sakura didn't listen to her inner self.

She yanked the girl closer, causing the hood to be forced back –

- only to reveal Sakura's own face underneath it.

"What? Is this a henge?" She stared in surprise and hesitated.

But that was her mistake. The look-alike's eyes –which Sakura had been staring at – turned into a color of violet with slits for pupils. Then, Sakura was pushed back by a violet chakra which emerged from the girl.

As the pink-haired shinobi surveyed the scene before her, she was reminded of the fight that Naruto had with Neji before. When her teammate's chakra holes were sealed, he used a certain red chakra to force them open. Sakura could tell that red chakra wasn't natural, but she could tell that it was powerful.

This girl's violet chakra was no different.

Sakura watched in horror as the chakra consumed and burned the 'binding cloths' that held its user while it emanated a sickening, poisoning aura that almost made Sakura weaker. Not to mention throw up.

"Impressive," the girl said, but it sounded more like a cry of a bird than that of a human being. "You caught me off gurad there."

Sakura forced herself up on her feet again, drawing two regular kunais and positioning herself to the battle stance she had before. She didn't know what to do in this situation, with her opponent wielding an inhuman – not to mention nauseating – chakra. All she has were a couple of kunais to defend herself.

Wonder if she can do that superhuman thing Naruto did before.

"Relas, I'm not going to kill you. At least, not yet. "she said, her voice becoming more human as the chakra receded. "Besides, you're worth nothing to me if you're dead."

"I'll ask you one more time: what do you want?" Sakura said, hoping that this time she'll answer the question.

"I'll make it simple for you," the other girl said. "You are just bait."

Sakura watched as the fake-Sakura ran towards her while making the seal for the Clone Jutsu. A couple of clones appeared in front of her…

…and Sakura made short work of them.

"Bad mistake girl." Fake-Sakura's voice said from behind.

Sakura turned just in time to grab the fake's left arm, preventing a kunai from burying itself into her midsection.

"That's the best you could do?" Sakura mocked. "And, hey, isn't that a little too clichéd?"

She tightened her hold on the fake's hand, making a bone-crunching sound. The fake screamed in pain as she dropped to her knees, letting go of the kunai.

Of course, healing jutsus were not the only ones Tsunade taught to Sakura. The Cherry Blossom even possessed her mistress's monstrous strength.

Sakura smirked, "Bet you didn't see that one coming."

The fake, however, laughed sinisterly.

Sakura was a bit taken aback. "What…?"

The fake raised her head to meet Sakura's. Her eyes have returned to the sickening color of violet with the slitted pupils. "Saw it coming."

Sakura felt a searing pain in her right hand, the hand which grasped the faske's injured hand. It felt like a thousand needles suddenly stabbing into her palm, followed by a strange numbing sensation. She quickly let go and back off. Checking her hand for any signs of injury, she saw that there were a few scratches, stab wounds and a little blood. It didn't look fatal, but it was enough to make her feel numb.

But what caused it?  
She glanced at the fake, who seemed to be giggling uncontrollably as the sickening chakra began enveloping her again, thought it was much fainter this time. Sakura could see that there was something protruding out of the girl's arm, poking out of the raincoat's sleeve, where she grabbed. It looked like a bunch of feathers but it seemed sharper and harder. They slowly retreated back into the inside of the dark cloth, making a familiar ripping sound as it goes.

"Who – no – what is she?" Sakura thought. No way an ordinary shinobi can pull a trick like this. Well, there is Orochimaru and Gaara of the Sand. But they were exceptions.

Then, an image of Naruto, along with the rare times when he showed an inhuman strength that was so unlike him, flashed through her mind. Could it be that Naruto…

But she never finished her train of thought, the numbing sensation had grown worse and it had spread though out her arm. She couldn't move her arm, much less feel it.

"That-really-hurt." The fake giggled, still holding her injured arm. Her face had a maniacal expression to it, her eyeballs looking like they were about to pop off. "But-it-felt-good"

Sakura staggered, the numbing sensation grew much worse and it seemed that it had spread thought the right half of her body. The fake's comment kind of freaked her out.

"Consider yourself lucky." The fake continued, finally stopped giggling. But her voice resumed the bird-like characteristic. "The poison I used on you is one of my weakest and it only paralyzes, not kill. Though you will go unconscious after a few minutes – or seconds."

Sakura didn't need to hear it from her, she could already guess what the poison – or whatever it is – is doing to her. She is a medical-nin after all. She knows a self-healing jutsu that cab cure poisons like these.

Too bad her right hand wasn't agreeing with her, along with the right half of her body.

Sakura's right leg finally gave away, and she was on her knees.

"But, before you go." the fake said. "I like to give you a little something for making me experience the pain I felt earlier."

A familiar ripping sound caused Sakura to look up. She saw the sharp jagged feathers poking out of the spaces between the fake's knuckles. She walked over to where Sakura is and gloated over her. "Don't worry; I'm sure you'll enjoy the pain as much as I did."

The feathers flashed dangerously above her, a random thought hit Sakura saying that this girl is a freaking masochist.

A less random thought hit her that a flash of blue and black appeared between them and forced the fake away.

"Cixi, that's enough." A male voice said, and it was a familiar voice. Very familiar.

Sakura looked up at her rescuer, who had his back turned on her. Thought her vision was blurring, she could see a blurry figure wearing blue and black. And he stared back at her with Sharingan eyes.

"Sa-suke-kun?" Sakura muttered, before she finally yielded to the effects of the poison, lulling her to a deep sleep.

* * *

Not for the first time, Naruto was in trouble. 

Big trouble.

At first, they were only one hundred fifty of them, in less than three minutes half of them were already gone. The remaining guys, however, were no pushovers. They seemed to be faster, stronger and smarter than their fallen brother. And they have surrounded him in all sides.

"Can't you guys give me a break?" he complained as he disemboweled a couple of Dragoons, their dark mass evaporating into the air after their defeat.

He was on top of a tall skyscraper facing off against the remaining seventy five – okay, seventy three; the other two were killed earlier. Naruto stood his ground, hardly noticing that the rain had stopped.

Battered and bruised but still not beaten.

He decided earlier not to use his Shadow Clones in this training session, what he is aiming is how he can handle on his own. And from the looks of things, he didn't do too bad.

There was a rustle of movement to his left and he turned around just in time to avoid a fatal slash from a Warrior's arm blade, barely missing his face. Since the enemy lunged itself at him during this attack, this gave Naruto the chance to drive a kunai through that Warrior's neck, decapitating it. The shadowy warrior evaporated into the air before it fell to the ground.

Three Assassins followed suit and simultaneously attacked him from three different directions. Naruto jumped just in time to dodge their attacks and landed mockingly on top of their tangled scythes. Overhead, a dozen Drakelings were waiting for a chance to swoop down on him. He felt the weapons that he was standing on lower and forced up, launching him into the air into the waiting Drakelings. Naruto finished the Assassins by shooting a kunai in each of their faces as he was forced up.

As for the Drakelings, a few shuriken made short work of them.

A group of three Dragoons that followed next was another thing. Using their signature ability, they teleported a few feet above Naruto, and descended towards him, spears at the ready. The first one threw its spear at him, but Naruto caught it and used it to slash away at its owner. As the other two came closer, he twirled around to create enough force to cut through both Legionnaires. After that, the spear evaporated from his hand.

He 3was nearing the ground, where a black mass of Tasogare Legionnaires were waiting for him. He pulled out a 'Napalm Kunai' and threw it at the gathered Legionnaires. The ones in the middle of the mob were unlucky enough to be caught in the explosion, their shadowy matter disappearing into the air. This left an opening where Naruto landed, only to be surrounded by what's left of Kurogane's forces. He surveyed around to see what's left of them.

"Forty," he thought, he can still take this.

But before he could even make a move, a sudden gust of win swept by, followed by a nauseating chakra that made Naruto shudder. Even though he doesn't know where that came from, he knows who it belonged to.

"**_The Zhen?"_** Even Kyuubi got anxious.

The Legionnaires stopped and began disappearing, evaporating back into the shadows.

Seems that Kurogane had noticed too.

Speaking of which, a mentioned character appeared behind him. "It's Cixi the Zhen."

Naruto nodded. "Do you think they're back?"

"Let's find out," Kurogane stretched out his right hand to the side where his shadow is and – if it was possible – the shadow grew darker, like it became a pool of black. There was a ripple in the middle and a katana can be seen rising out of the dark. Naruto eyed Kurogane as the latter took the blade.

"Don't worry. I won't pull Tasogare out unless I need to. Just being cautious." He assured him.

But Naruto wasn't really assured.

"**_That guy doesn't even knmow what 'cautious' means._**"

And neither was Kyuubi.

* * *

The fake Sakura, Cixi, stared at disbelief at the scene before her. 

She watched him gracefully catch the pink-haired shinobi of the Leaf before falling to the ground unconscious and letting the girl lean on a nearby wall. Then, he glanced back at her, Sharingan activated, and asked whjat did she think she was doing.

Not only did he ruin her fun, he had hit her a good one on the face, which now looked like a warped version of Sakura's face after being messed by a blender.

Using her right hand for the jutsu, Cixi willed her bodily fluids to change her face's anatomy back to its original form. The pink hue of her hair darkened a bit to a shade of violet and it lengthened pass her neck. Her eyes retained the color of green but their expression became much colder.

Overall, she looked like an older version of Sakura and had the air of a femme fatale assassin.

"I'm asking you ojne more time, Cixi," she heard him say, his voice more serious. "What did you think you were doing?"

She closed her eyes and opened them again, their color no longer green but violet with a slitted pupil. "I should be asking you that," she said with equal seriousness, her voice having the likeness of a bird's. "Uchiha Sasuke."

She examined the prodigee before her. He was wearing a black hooded jacket, black pants and black shoes. Those clothes had blue lightning markings designs crisscrossing across the garment. At the back was the gothic kanji for 'Avenger' covered with electric current designs. The Sound headband protector wrapped around his right arm. Also, the katana he is clutching on his left is worth noticing.

"I asked you first Cixi." The dark-eyed shinobi said, his grip on the katana tightened making a threatening expression.

"Hmph." She was beginning to be annoyed, but didn't want ot fight. This guy is someone who shouldn't be trifled with, being personally trained by the Snake Sannin. And being an Uchiha prodigy with the Sharingan to boot.

"Even with Zhen, I won't have a chance against him." She thought.

She sighed. "I'm just going to use her as bait to get the Kyuubi-container, that's all." Eyeing Sakura. "Don't worry, she won't get hurt. Besides, capturing the Kyuubi-container is the highest priority. It's an order given by Asura-sama."

Then she felt something touch her back.

"You orders," she heard he reply behind her. ",not mine."

She didn't need to turn around to guess that the Uchiha was behind her, his katana touching at her back. Also, as she gazed to where Sakura is leaning, Sasuke was no longer there.

"That…was…fast…" she gulped.

"Don't cross me, Cixi." He said. "Even with the Zhen at your side, you still don't have what it takes to beat me."

"Hmph. Slice and dice me all you want, but I won't die that easily. Besides from killing, the Xhen's poison's can also be used for curing. I can regenerate thanks to that." She said. "And besides, I enjoy pain."

There was snicker behind her. "After I'm through with you, you wouldn't feel pain anymore." There was the sound of the katana being withdrawn from its scabbard. "Much less have anything left to regenerate from."

Cixi felt a presence near them; it was strong no mistaking it. She turned her head to the direction where she felt it. She also noticed that Sasuke had noticed it, too.

"There's two of them." He said.

"The Kyuubi-container and the Dragon Avatar." She replied, hearing the katana being slipped back into its scabbard.

She felt him tug her raincoat hood and pushed her away to the opposite direction.

"Get out of here." Sasuke said. "I'll deal with this."

She looked back at him in disbelief. Not that she was grateful to him for covering her, she just doesn't want to in his debt.

"Leave Sakura and me here." He said, glaring at her with his eyes, now back to onyx. "I'll handle this."

She sighed again. "Fine, you're on your own here."

In a flash of violet-pink feathers, she was gone.

"It's your funeral, Uchiha."


	8. Continued Rivalry I

**Chapter VII – Continued Rivalry I**

"_They're already making their move?"_ Kurogane thought as they jumped from building to building towards their destination. His black cape billowing behind him, making the effect that he had wings as he flew through the air. He noted that the blond, though had seemingly average skills when they first met, had become more proficient in speed and agility these past few weeks. After filing that piece of information into the back of his mind, he resumed his assessment of the situation.

Yatagarasu Cixi, the Zhen, is back in Izanami. And she had displayed the Zhen's power in Hanabishi territory.

"_Is she after Garuda-sama (Huang's father) then? Or Matchi? Or Huang?_

He became worried as he thought of the Phoenix Avatar. _"She'll be fine. She has Fenghuang with her."_

There must be another reason why she's here, aside from her grudge against the Hanabishi family.

"**_Isn't it obvious? _**A voice in him rang out. **_"It's them…"_**

He glanced at Naruto ahead of him.

"_Of course, Naruto. Has Asura become really, really desperate for Kyuubi's power now? If so, why send only Cixi?"_

Regardless of the reason, that doesn't change the fact that Cixi is in Western Izanami, Hanabishi's turf, and had used the Zhen. He had to make sure that everyone's safe.

Including Naruto, who had become the target of the traitor Asura.

_Traitor…_

The word echoed through his mind and it offended him greatly.

The image of a silver-haired man being killed flashed through his mind.

"_Gin…" _His grip on Tasogare tightened. _"Is Otohime here as well?"_

They arrived at their destination, the place where they sensed the Zhen's chakra came from, the roof of the building still reeked with that poisonous energy. They noticed a figure in pink cloths, leaning against a nearby wall.

"Sakura-chan!" He heard Naurto say, Kurogane turned his head just in time to see the blond rush towards her. Kurogane followed suit after surveying the scene. They appeared tom have been a struggle here. He also noted the six embedded 'Spellbinding kunais' and the ruined and torn cloths.

Ahh, now he understood why Cixi had to use Zhen.

He walked over to where Naruto is. The blond had grabbed akura by the shoulders, shaking her gently, trying to wake her up. Kurogane noticed the bandaged right hand.

_Has someone arrived before us?_

"She seemed to be poisoned." Kurogane muttered, as Naruto looked at him and back at Sakura. He continued. "Don't worry; it seems to be nothing serious. I've seen this kind of effect before. The poison Cixi used on her is weak and it only paralyzes and can put people to sleep." He bent down and examined Sakura's bandaged hand.

_But who could've bandaged her? Cixi certainly wouldn't, she wouldn't need bandages. _

Anyway, Sakura is lucky if Cixi had used this weak of a poison. His mind trailed back to the many victims of the renegade shinobi, their decomposed and melted corpses made them difficult to identify.

It looked like they were bathed with some kind of acid that melted away their flesh, exposing- and eroding- the insides. Definitely not a pretty sight.

Good thing Sakura didn't suffer the same fate.

_But why Sakura? A trap perhaps to lure them in? If that's true, then where's Cixi?_

His question was answered when he felt a looming presence behind them. Kurogane didn't hesitate, he let go of Sakura's bandaged hand, turned around and lashed out with Tasogare. He was greeted by a dark-clothed figure before him but it disappeared in a puff of smoke and a volley of snakes rushed at him. He had to slash a second time to get rid of them.

_A clone made of snakes? Is this Otohime's doing? No way could Cixi pull this off._

"Sasuke…" Naruto whispered, Kurogane glanced at him and he saw that the blond was looking at the direction where the snake-clone was.

"Sasuke?" he asked, taking a look around. "Isn't he the guy you told me about? The one who defected to the Sound?" He scanned their surroundings for any sign of movement, his right hand grasping Tasogare, the other clutching the scabbard.

He felt another presence behind him; he lashed out again with Tasogare only to be blocked by another katana. He marveled at the sight of the blad,; snake engraving at its sides, it gleamed sinisterly in contrast to Tasogare's dark color. His gaze traveled from the blade to its owner, who had his other hand drawn back, ready to launch a punch.

Kurogane dropped the scabbard in order to use his left to catch the incoming attack. He caught it alright, but he wasn't able to lessen the force given by the attack. This caused him to spin to his left but it gave him an opportunity to attack again with Tasogare. This time, with both hands grasping it. He was again blocked by the other katana.

He saw his opponent in full view, "So… you are Uchiha Sasuke…"

The dark-haired figure didn't reply and, instead, raised his right leg to stomach level and kicked him away. The power of that kick was enough to send him flying across the roof. As he was nearing the edge, a silhouette of Sasuke appeared above him and kicked him again, this time it forced him downward diagonally.

He hit the roof where the impact lessened the force enough for gravity to pull him down. He was falling headfirst along with the debris.

_Damn, he's strong._

Kurogane regained his composure in as he fell and positioned his body so that he's falling feet first. He took Tasogare and stabbed it deep into the nearby wall. This slowed down his descent for a bit and he had to use his left foot to scrape along the wall in order to create friction to finally stop. Once he halted, he dangled from his place to look at the ground and back at the roof.

Fro once, he's grateful for Garuda-sama's taste in tall buildings.

Using only his right hand, he swung as few times before he somersaulted to land on top of Tasogare. He looked up at the top again.

He smirked, "So, another player has entered the fray."

"That takes care of that one."


	9. Continued Rivalry II

Continued Rivalries II

"That takes care of that one."

A gust of wind ruffled Sasuke's hair as he observed the Avatar Shinobi fall. From what he heard from Asura and the others, he had expected the Dragon Avatar to last much longer. Losing interest in the aforementioned character, he turned away and walked away from the broken ledge. He twirled the Kusanagi katana a bit before returning it to its sheath. He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. Now the only one to take of is –

"Sasuke!"

- is him.

Sasuke turned to face him. He saw that he had already left Sakura's side and is a few feet away from her. The blond had a grim expression on his face, both hands curled into fists, and every bit of him spells out 'seriousness.' That reminded Sasuke of before: whenever that idiot is like that, he always thought that he was just being stubborn or plain stupid. Given the situation, 'wanting to die' would suit that idiot better that the first two.

Swaying those thoughts aside, Sasuke reminded himself that these memories from before were no longer important to him. Other than revenge everything else – past memories, bonds with other, friendship – are nothing to him now. He doesn't waste time dwelling on these, the psychological training – or should he call it torture – of Orochimaru made sure of that.

So why is he starting now?

"Naruto…" he said.

The blond bellowed again, "Did you do this to Sakura-chan, Sasuke? Without turning his back, Naruto gestured over to where the cherry blossom is.

"And what if I did?" Sasuke answered back.

"Then, you owe me – no, us – an explanation." Was the reply.

"Hmph." Sasuke crossed his arms. "I owe you nothing."

He saw that his former teammate got irked by that last comment and was at a lost for words. That idiot was always an easy read.

Naruto got into a battle stance: feet apart, and his hands making the seal for the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Sasuke just lazily cocked his head to the side.

'_Isn't that getting old?"_ he thought.

"Shadow Clones!!" Twenty-one clones appeared around Naruto, all of them having bearing the feral expression of a beast. The blond gave them the signal and they charged towards Sasuke.

"_Only twenty of them are coming," _Sasuke thought as he analyzed the situation. _"He's probably using the last one to assist him powering up the Rasengan. I'll deal with that after I take care of the clones."_

He assumed his own battle stance: left leg slightly bent forward while the right is slightly bent behind him, his right hand clutching the Kusanagi while his left was ready to grip the hilt.

The Clones were almost upon him when Sasuke drew the blade –

"**Ouroburos: Massacre Storm!"**

- a split second later, Sasuke was facing the opposite direction with the Kusanagi drawn. The hiss of wind and fast-moving steel can be heard, and all twenty clones disappeared in a puff of smoke but not without receiving multiple cuts and sword wounds.

"And here he comes." Sasuke straightened himself up and, while still holding Kusanagi, stabbed deep into Naruto's midsection. Apparently, Naruto had tried to attack him with the Rasengan after his clones dissipated, using the smokescreen as cover. Too bad, the idiot's plan failed.

Strangely, the smoke that appeared after the slaying of the Shadow Clones seemed to have lasted longer in this particular situation. The blond figure in front of him winced for a while as the Rasengan in his right hand disappeared, but he later sneered and chuckled for a bit coughing up blood in the process.

Sasuke was surprised by this.

Naruto raised his eyes to the raven-haired shinobi's level and muttered something that sounded like, "Got you."

Sasuke sensed movement to his right and felt a bit of pain and surprise as a bone-shattering kick connected with his right cheek. The force not only hurt him but forced him to his left and made him lose his grip on Kusanagi.

Naruto coughed up again and almost vomited out blood before disappearing. The blade that stabbed him dropped to the ground. Sasuke noticed that there was not a speck of blood on the sword's gleaming blade.

_What?_ Sasuke thought. _The one I stabbed was the last Shadow Clone! He was a step ahead of me!_

But even as he recovered from the shock of the blow he had just received, he was still unprepared as the real Naruto emerged from the smoke and assailed him with a flurry of kicks. He managed to get nailed four – or five – times before regaining his composure.

"How about this!" he heard Naruto say. "Body Flicker!" And the blond let loose once more a flurry of kicks – mostly sidekicks and roundhouses - but this time with a speed that was so unlike him.

"_He's grown fast."_ Sasuke thought, he had to step back a few times to dodge some hits. "_But he's not the only one."_

Sure enough, he managed to avoid most of the blows and only getting hit three or four times. But over the barrage of melee attacks, Sasuke saw the reason why the blond is only using kicks: he was using both hands to hold a Rasengan.

"_Damn!" _Sasuke knows the overwhelming damage and force a Rasengan can deliver, and he definitely doesn't want to be the crash-test dummy for this one. As the kicking onslaught came to a close and Naruto started to lunge the Rasengan towards him, Sasuke, using the same speed to deflect Naruto's kicks, performed the seals.

"**Chidori Nagashi! (Thousand Birds Current)"**

Blue and white Chakra that resembles lightning had started flowing from his hands and had spread out through his entire body, protecting him from the Rasengan's onslaught. Sparks flew and an ear-bleeding screech can be heard as lightning-element-induced chakra came in contact with the grinding force of the Rasengan, causing the former to lose some of its energy and the latter to explode seconds after contact. The aforementioned blast blew both fighters to go flying and tumbling to opposite sides of the roof where they lie dazed and bruised –

- or at least one of them did.

During his stay at Otogakure, Sasuke had improved the art of the Lightning Edge to the point that he can perform up to five or six a day. And from there, he had taken the art to new heights where the electrifying chakra can be applied to his entire body. And add that with his training of inducing his chakra to the lightning element, he already have the means to generate power equal to that of a massive lightning storm.

Despite Chidori Nagashi's electrical protection, it did little good to withstand the effect of the blast. Its defense is almost as good as any armor, as most of his sparring partners in Otokagure had attested: it can lessen the effect of chakra-based attacks and can even deflect most physical attacks – but in this case, the force of the Rasengan explosion proved too much for it and managed to knock him off balance. Regardless, Sasuke managed to get back on his feet even though his new jutsu was already fizzing out on him.

Through the light smoke that was caused by the meeting of their jutsus, Sasuke could make out the silhouette of his opponent getting up.

_Damn it!_ Sasuke thought. _He's still standing? _

While the Chidori already takes huge amounts of chakra just to perform, it takes even more to execute and maintain its advanced form. And even though Sasuke has enough chakra to spare courtesy to his cursed seal, he doesn't want to use that yet.

But as he felt an all too familiar heat resonating from his opponent, Sasuke realized that he might need the cursed seal after all.

* * *

This doesn't look good.

The kitsune demon watched with interest, using an ocular ability that allows him to see through the eyes of his vessel, the battle that is unfolding outside his prison.

"**_To think we would go up against one of Madara's blood…" _**

Using another of his powers, the same one that allowed the kit to enter his realm when he was pushed down the cliff years ago, he summoned the consciousness of the boy in front of his cage.

The boy groaned from the pain from his body, probably from the result from the collision of their jutsus during the battle. The sealed demon stared at the writhing body of the boy double in pain again before he recovered and looked back at him with an even stare.

"What do you want now?"

"**_I have a proposition." _**The fox quickly stated, being right to the point. If the kit is to survive this ordeal, then he definitely needs the demon's assistance.

"I thought we already established that you lend me your chakra…"

"**_Not that."_** The fox seethed impatiently, breathing out through his fangs. **_"You cannot survive this onslaught on your own, even with my lending you my powers. There is also the possibility of you… overindulging yourself again… And to top that we have a casualty."_** Referring to the Cherry Blossom.

"Your point being?" the boy was getting impatient as well.

The fox had to calm itself down before speaking again. **_"Kit, it's time to use 'that' jutsu."_**

Realization finally dawned on the boy, but it was quickly replaced by suspicion.

"**_I'll be a good boy, alright?"_** The fox pleaded. Apparently, longtime isolation had fried the kisune's brains. Its pathetic choice of words only served to make him more pitiful. Kyuubi, the King of Beasts, begging like a puppy trying to convince its owner to take it for a walk.

But, hell, it was desperate!

"Fine," the boy finally conceded. "If Kurogane can do it with Tasogare, then so can we."

Hearing that, the ends of thekitsune's lips drew upward revealing more fangs. A predatory gesture that is almost akin to a smile.

"But I'm keeping you on a short leash, fox."

"**_Fine with me, kit."_** And the demon opened its maw, vomiting out massive volumes of its chakra. It rushed out and flooded through the bars of its prison, pervading the entire area with its crimson color. Kyuubi watched the boy being overwhelmed by the flood of fire. But deluge didn't stop there, even after sweeping the boy away in its torrents the flood overflowed outwards from the room.

Out to the outside world.

* * *

Having experienced Naruto's 'true' power before, Sasuke knew what to expect.

He had already activated his Sharingan and stood at the ready. If Naruto is already drawing tat red chakra, then Sasuke will have to finish him off with something quick. Preferably something lethal. But before he can make any move, Naruto, if it was possible to describe it, erupted.

Despite the blinding heat, Sasuke kept his eye on his quarry. Naruto looked like he was about to vomit and had doubled over. Then he had his hands grasping around his stomach area, almost as if trying to contain something. Then he was enveloped in flames.

There was a bulge underneath the blond's black shirt that appeared when he let go of his midsection. Then it began writhing, like something was trying to get out. Sasuke could discern the shape of a mouth and fangs rifting through the fabric before it tore a hole in the shirt.

What Sasuke saw next stunned him to the bone.

Two eyes.

Two urning red eyes anda carnivorous maw, budged through the gaping hole. Even trhough the blinding heat, Sasuke could see the formation of something distinct within the flames. It was somehow akin to a wolf or a fox's head. Despite it is also made of fire, it had a much darker color and a tinge of orange that made it stand out from fires that surrounded it. The lazing animal-like figure moved forward and the rest of the body followed. A pair of front legs materialized and it ignited the floor beneath it as it made contact. Hind legs followed respectively and all four limbs kindled the area around it. The last to come out were a set of nine billowing tales. Then it rumbled with something that could have been laughter.

It was much hotter now and Sasuke was almost at the mercy of the flaming beast.

Almost.

Having no other choice, Sasuke activated the first level Cursed Heaven Seal and felt the marks flow across the skin on his neck and face, along with a surge of reserve chakra across his enervated being. He noticed the Kusanagi nearby and picked it up. Electricity surged across his body once more, reaching even the Kusanagi and granting it the element of lightning. Seems that the activation of the cursed seal had also stimulated the fuzzed out Chidori Nagashi and his new armor seemed to protect him from the blistering heat to some degree.

He took one more look at his prey.

If the rumors Orochimaru and Asura had told him were true, then he knew exactly who it was standing before him smoldering half the area. And he knew what was coming next. A certain phrase flitted across his mind as he readied himself for battle. And the thought of it made him snicker ridiculously because it would ultimately describe the upcoming round.

"ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE."

* * *

Sorry if I took too long to update, been busy.

There are some things that I wanted to add in my story but there some change of plans when Naruto II came up. I wanted my story to fit with the canon Naruto storyline so I had to revise. The introduction of the Chidori Nagashi, Sasuke's Kusanagi blade, and the mysterious Uchiha Madara are also made here. But I made some changes with them, particularly the Kusanagi which I made to take the form of the traditional katana.

Also, if the statement Naruto said aout 'Kurogane and Tasogare being able to do it' confuses you, you'll get the idea in the next chapter.

And yes, I revised thdamn chapter. I wasn't satisfied with the last version.

LEXICON:

**Ouroboros: Massacre Storm**

The Ouroborus takes the form of a serpent or dragon swallowing its tail and forming a circle. This symbol can also be attributed to Orochimaru, whose name means "monstrous snake" and "circle."

I wanted Sasuke to have a fighting style that invloved the Kusanagi, something with a name that fits with his alliance with the snake-sannin. And Ouroborus was it. And the analogy between the symbol and Orochimaru's namesake also works.

The Massacre Storm attack is... pretty much self explanatory. It is an attack that can reach over an area (at least 3 to 6 feet away). Though it resembles multiple 'tornado cuts' it actually involved getting into the fray and swipe at anything that moves. The only reason why when Sasuke used it and defeated twenty Shadow Clone in a blink of an eye is because of his improved speed.

**Chidori Nagashi**

Those who already read Naruto II will recognize this as Sasuke's improved Chidori jutsu.


End file.
